Mini Big Rigs
A passion for trucking and working with timber has resulted in a hobby that has led to a full-time venture for Mosgiel-based Craig Andrews.
Just over three years ago, Craig Andrews decided to build an old Marlborough Transport Atkinson pulling A-trains loaded with wood freight. A Refrigerated Freight Lines Kenworth also pulling A-trains was next, and then a Waitaki Transport Volvo G88, once again pulling the favoured combination – A-trains.
The first three were sold on Trade Me and made barely any money – building those early examples was slow going. Craig cut most of the components with a jigsaw and a hand saw. Detail was limited as everything was time-consuming, and ways to do certain things had not been devised yet.
As time progressed, a new scroll saw entered Craig’s workshop, but that was too small and was eventually replaced with a bandsaw. That and a drop saw were game-changers.
The process was further sped up by Craig deciding
to make things to a specific width and scale.
Roll the clock forward to today and his hobby has began demanding more attention. Not long ago, Craig created a Facebook page, and Just Add Diesel! Wooden Replica Trucks was born.
“The Facebook page was created to see just how much interest there was. There has been plenty,” said Craig. “About 99.9% of the builds are to order – milk tankers, low loaders with dozers and diggers, bulk trucks, curtain-siders, logging trucks, spreaders, and livestock trucks have all been done.”
Craig says the old-school subjects are his favourite. “A Volvo G88 or 3070 International on livestock is right up there. Especially if the sheep crates have the oldstyle fuel company signs on the front of them – they look great.”
There are many on Craig’s own list of subject matter. “There are so many cool
New Zealand trucks, such as the Lendich sleeper-cabbed W-model Kenworth, Southern Transport’s first Mack Super Liner with A-train trailers on livestock, and the Volvo F10 my dad drove at West Otago Transport. They would be at the top of my ‘want to build’ list.”
But for now, it is all about keeping customers happy.
Everything is hand-painted – the most time-consuming part of a build. No stickers are used. One truck is done at a time unless there is an order for two of the same truck.
“Getting them to look like the real thing is key. For that to happen, you need detail and correct scale. Mirrors,
roof lights and stone guards are now standard. If the real truck has wide tyres on the steerers, then the replica has wide tyres. If the mud flaps have Bandag logos on them, then the replica gets them. I’m always trying to find ways to make them better,” he says.
The builds have been popular for birthdays and retirements or just to go on display in the customer’s company office or man cave.
“A lot of customers have a fond memory of a truck they used to drive, and it’s my job to replicate it as close to the real thing as possible.”
Just Add Diesel! is on Facebook, and there’s a website on the way later this year.